Pivot seat with a non-rolling weighted base

ABSTRACT

A seat that can move between an upright position and one or more active positions is provided. The seat can have a base with a non-planar portion to wobble the seat into one or more wobble orientations, thereby permitting controlled pitching of the seat relative to a floor surface. The base can have one or more roll reduction pads to restrict roll in or about a roll axis perpendicular to a pitch axis about which the seat pitches. The seat can also have a post coupled to the base and a seat pan to provide a seating surface. The base can be weighted and can have a non-planar portion to wobble the seat into one or more wobble orientations. The roll reduction pads can extend radially outwardly from the apex of the non-planar portion. One or more pads can generally conform to contours of the non-planar portion of the base.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application62/445,936 filed Jan. 13, 2017, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Traditional sitting postures assumed when using typical office seatingsuch as chairs may have, over time, a detrimental impact on anindividual's health. Besides encouraging a sedentary lifestyle,traditional seating may create muscular or orthopedic discomfort for aperson.

Many commercially available wobble seats or wobble stools encourage theuser to sit in a more active seating posture, rather than a traditionalupright sitting posture. Such wobble seats typically have an inverteddome shaped weighted base that can be self-stabilizing (e.g., similar toa rocking chair) so as to rest on its apex. A user may have to exerttheir body weight to keep the wobble seat in the active seating posture.Doing so may increase blood flow to the user's abdomen and legs,alleviating some of the negative effects of traditional upright sitting.

However, commercially available wobble seats, because of thehemispherical shape of the weighted base have a tendency to roll (e.g.,in a direction perpendicular to their “rocking” direction). This maycause discomfort to the user, when, for instance, the user leanssideways (e.g., to reach an object) while seated in an active seatingposture.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, this disclosure provides a seat. The seat can beconfigured to move between an upright position and one or more activepositions. The seat can have a base having a non-planar portionconfigured to permit wobbling of the seat into one or more wobbleorientations, thereby permitting controlled pitching of the seatrelative to a floor surface about a pitch axis when a user's body weightis applied thereon. The base can have one or more roll reduction padsconfigured to restrict roll in or about a roll axis in the one or moreactive positions. The roll axis can be perpendicular to the pitch axis.

In some embodiments, the seat includes a post having a center axis. Thepost can have a first end coupled to the base, and a second end oppositeto the first end.

In some embodiments, the seat can have a seat pan coupled to the secondend of the post. The seat pan can be configured to provide a seatingsurface.

In certain aspects of the present disclosure, the base can have a centerof gravity positioned to be closer to the floor surface than to thefirst end of the post so as to facilitate returning the seat from theone or more active positions to the upright position when the user'sbody weight is removed from the seat.

In some illustrative aspects, the seat has a pitch axis positioned on aplane parallel to the floor surface.

In aspects of the present disclosure, the base can form a non-zero anglewith the floor surface when the seat is in the one or more activepositions. In some embodiments, the angle formed by the base issufficient to form an angle of between about 100 degrees and about 150degrees between a user's torso and hip, when seated in the one or moreactive positions. In an embodiment, the angle formed by the base withthe floor surface is between about 20 degrees and about 70 degrees.

In certain illustrative aspects, the base has a generally symmetricshape about a yaw axis. In some embodiments, the seat pan is configuredto yaw about the yaw axis relative to the base into one or more yawpositions. In some such embodiments, the seat is pivotable into one ormore active positions for each yaw position of the seat post relative tothe base.

The base can be generally dome-shaped in some embodiments. Thedome-shaped base can, in an exemplary embodiment, have an apex. The apexcan generally contact the floor in the upright position, and each yawposition corresponds to a portion of a circumference of the base.

In certain illustrative aspects, the generally symmetric shape of thebase can permit omnidirectional yaw of the seat pan relative to thebase.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a seat is provided. The seat can beconfigured to move between an upright position and one or more activepositions The seat can have a base permitting controlled pitching of theseat about a pitch axis relative to the floor surface when a user's bodyweight is applied thereon. The base can have a roll reduction portionprovided on an outer surface of the base to restrict roll about a rollaxis perpendicular to the pitch axis. The seat can also have a postcoupled to the base at a first end. The post can have a second endopposite to the first end. In some embodiments, a seat pan can becoupled to the second end of the post. The seat pan can be configured toprovide a seating surface.

In some embodiments, the base includes a non-planar portion at least aportion of which contacts the floor surface at least in the uprightposition when the seat is positioned thereon.

In aspects of the present disclosure, the roll reduction portioncomprises a plurality of pads extending outwardly from the non-planarportion of the base.

In an exemplary embodiment, the base is pivotable with respect to thefloor surface about the pitch axis into the one or more activepositions.

In one aspect, the non-planar portion of the base is rotationallysymmetric about a yaw axis when the seat is in the upright position.

In some embodiments, the plurality of pads extend radially outwardlyfrom an apex of the non-planar portion.

In an illustrative embodiment, one or more pads of the plurality of padsgenerally conforms to contours of the non-planar portion of the base. Insome embodiments, one or more pads has a length corresponding to betweenabout 50% and about 90% of an arc length of the non-planar portion.

Aspects of the present disclosure also provide a weighted base for apivot seat. The weighted base can have an upper portion configured toconnect to a post of the pivot seat. The weighted base can also have anon-planar portion configured to wobble the seat into one or more wobbleorientations, and a roll reduction portion provided on the base. Theroll reduction portion includes a plurality of pads extending radiallyoutwardly from the apex of the non-planar portion. One or more pads cangenerally conform to contours of the non-planar portion of the base. Theroll reduction portion can be configured to restrict rolling motionabout a roll axis perpendicular to a pitch axis about which the seat isconfigured to pitch.

The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features, objects, andadvantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and fromthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a pivot seatshown in an upright position;

FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of the pivot seat of FIG. 1Ashown in an active position;

FIG. 1C illustrates a side perspective view of the pivot seat of FIG. 1Awith a user seated thereon;

FIG. 1D illustrates the pivot seat of FIG. 1A with a user seated in anupright position;

FIG. 1E illustrates the pivot seat of FIG. 1A with the user seated in anactive position;

FIG. 1F illustrates the pivot seat of FIG. 1A with a plurality of activepositions illustrated in dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a weighted base of the pivot seat shownin FIG. 1A according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the weighted base of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the weighted base of FIG. 2 takenabout the plane 3-3;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the weighted base of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of a roll reduction portionaccording to another example; and

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of the roll reduction portionillustrated in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A-1C show illustrative embodiments of a pivot seat 10. FIG. 1Aillustrates the pivot seat 10 in an upright position, whereas FIG. 1Billustrates the pivot seat 10 in an active seating position. FIG. 1Cillustrates an exemplary seating posture of a user 20 when seated in theactive seating position of FIG. 1B, with their feet resting on the footrest 30. As seen therein, the pivot seat 10 can have controlled pitchingsuch that it can be moved with respect to the floor surface 32 from itsupright position to its active seating position. In some exemplaryembodiments, at least one stable equilibrium configuration of the pivotseat 10 can be its upright position. Alternatively or in addition, ofthe active seating positions may correspond to a stable equilibriumposition. As used herein, “stable equilibrium” may refer to a seatingposition whereby no rotational moments act on the seat so as to offsetit from its stable equilibrium position when a user is seated thereon.Such rotational moments may include, for instance, a rolling momentwhich may reduce stability as will be described below. In such examples,controlled pitching can be provided by the user's body weight which actsto counter the weight of the seat and move it from the upright positionto the one or more active seating positions.

As seen in FIGS. 1A-1C, the seat comprises a base 40. At least a portionof the base can remain on the floor surface 32. The base 40 comprises afirst surface 41 with an upper portion 42 and a second surface 43 havinga non-planar portion 44. At least certain parts of the non-planarportion 44 may generally contact the floor surface 32. However,different portions (relative to the illustrated portion) of thenon-planar portion 44 may contact the floor surface 32 depending on theposition and orientation in which the seat is pitched and/or swiveled.The base 40 connects to a post 50 at a first end 52 thereof. A secondend 54 of the post 50 (opposite to the first end 52) can connect to aseat pan 60 and/or a seat cushion 70. The first end 52 and the secondend 54 can be lower and upper edges respectively of a post housing 56.The post housing 56 and the post 50 are cylindrical (with a circularcross-section) in the illustrated embodiment, though, appreciably, othershapes (e.g. rectangular or oval cross-section) are contemplated withinthe scope of the present disclosure. The post 50, seat pan 60 and seatcushion 70 are described in the commonly-assigned patent application,U.S. 2013/0306831 A1, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

The post 50 is generally elongate in shape disposed about a center axis51 and protrudes out of a post housing 56. The post 50 can be adjustablerelative to the base 40 so as to position the seat pan 60 and/or seatcushion 70 at a desired height 82 from the floor surface 32 toaccommodate users of different heights. For instance, the post 50 can beadjusted (e.g., in a telescopic fashion) such that users of differentheights can be comfortably seated in one or more active positions asillustrated in FIG. 1C. For example, in one embodiment, the seat canaccommodate users of heights between about 4′6″ and about 6′8″,preferably about 4′11″ and about 6′6″. However, the heights providedhere should not be construed as limiting and users of different heightscan be accommodated in the seat 10.

In some such cases, the seat pan 60 can be coupled to an adjustmenthandle 84 that can adjust the length of the post 50. The adjustmenthandle 84 can be actuated by a user to adjust the height 82 as a resultof which the post 50 has a sliding motion relative to the post housing56. In some cases, height adjustment can be accomplished by using apneumatic gas spring positioned within the post 50 and/or post housing56. In some such embodiments, the user's body weight (or the lackthereof on the seat cushion 70) can facilitate adjusting the seat to adesired height 82.

The post 50 is rotationally coupled to the base 40 such that the seatpan 60 can yaw about a yaw axis 80 relative to the base 40 into one ormore yaw positions.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1A-1C, the seat pan 60 can beconnected to a seat cushion 70. Exemplary embodiments of the seatcushion 70 are described in the commonly-assigned U.S. application Ser.No. 15/618,448 titled “Seat Cushion,” filed on Jun. 9, 2017, andassigned to the assignee of the present application, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Suchembodiments provide sitz bone contouring and a waterfall edge forenhancing support and comfort. Further, such embodiments may help toreduce pressure points that might otherwise develop when usingtraditional seat cushions.

With continued reference to FIGS. 1A-1C, the seat can be used in anomnidirectional manner. For instance, as described previously, the seatpan 60 may yaw relative to the base 40 (as indicated in FIG. 1A) aboutthe yaw axis 80 into one or more yaw positions. In some examples, thepost 50 can have about 360 degrees of yaw, permitting usage of the seatin any rotational orientation. In such cases, base 40 can berotationally symmetric about the yaw axis 80 permitting use of the seatin any yaw orientation. Accordingly, various portions of the non-planarportion 44 of the base 40 may contact the floor surface 32 based on theyaw position of the seat.

The base 40 can be weighted so as to permit controlled pitching of theseat into one or more active positions. For instance, in the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 1C, the seat pivots into an active position so as toform an angle 88 between a user's torso 90 and hip 92. However, the base40 may be weighted so as to provide sufficient control to the user 20such that they may adjust their posture to form a desired angle 88between the hip 92 and torso 90. For instance, the base 40 may beweighted so as to provide variable pitching of the seat such that anangle 88 of between about 90 degrees and about 175 degrees is formedbetween a user's torso 90 and hip 92, when seated in the one or moreactive positions. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1C, the angle 88is about 130 degrees, though, appreciably, angles greater than or lessthan 130 degrees are contemplated in the present disclosure. Thus, eachactive position results in a corresponding angle 88 between the user'ship 92 and torso 90. Likewise, each active position is associated with acorresponding pitch position of the base 40, with a corresponding anglebetween the base 40 (e.g., upper portion 42) and the floor surface 32.

As is apparent from FIGS. 1B and 1C, the seat 10 and the base 40 inparticular can pitch about a pitch axis 100. The pitching motion aboutthe pitch axis 100 can sometimes be referred to a “rocking” motion. Thepitch axis 100 can be disposed on a plane generally parallel to thefloor surface. The base 40 (e.g., the upper portion 42) can form anon-zero angle with respect to the floor surface when the seat is in oneor more active positions. For instance, the angle formed by the base 40(e.g., upper portion 42) with the pitch axis 100 can be between about 20degrees and about 70 degrees. A suitable angle allowing the user 20 tomaintain a desired angle between the hip 92 and torso 90 can be achievedby the user 20 by applying and/or directing a suitable amount of theirbody weight on the seat. For instance, a user may wish to mostly standwhile having their gluteal muscles supported by the pivot seat. In suchcases, the user may not apply or direct a substantial amount of theirweight on the pivot seat and instead choose to rest their weight throughtheir legs. In other examples, the user may desire additional supportfor their gluteal and/or leg muscles. In such cases they may exertand/or direct (e.g., by leaning forward) so as to achieve a greaterdegree of pitching. Any number of active positions, corresponding to thedegree of desired support can be achieved.

FIGS. 1D-1F illustrate some exemplary positions of the pivot seat 10. InFIG. 1D, the user 20 is seated in the upright position. The anglebetween the user's torso 90 and hip 92 is about 90 degrees, and theupper portion 42 of the base 40 is generally parallel with the floorsurface 32. Further, the post 50 is substantially collapsed within thepost housing 56 such that the user's feet are in contact with the floorsurface 32. In FIG. 1E, the seat 10 is at an active position. In thisposition, the angle between the user's torso 90 and hip 92 is greaterthan or equal to about 90 degrees (for example, between about 100degrees and about 170 degrees, optionally, about 130 degrees), and theupper portion 42 of the base 40 is generally non-parallel with the floorsurface 32. Further, the post 50 is substantially extended from the posthousing 56 with respect to its position shown in FIG. 1D. FIG. 1Fillustrates two different active seating positions of the pivot seat 10:a first active seating position 102 shown in dashed lines and a secondactive seating position 104 shown in solid lines. The upright position106 is also provided for reference in dashed lines. The first activeposition 102 may represent the maximum amount of pitching permissiblewhereby, an outer edge 166 of the base 40 approaches close to the floorsurface 32 relative to its location in the upright position 106.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a perspective view and a bottom view of theweighted base 40 according to an embodiment. In some embodiments, thebase 40 can permit controlled pitching of the seat relative to the floorsurface 32 when the user's body weight is applied thereon, between theupright position and the one or more active positions. Further, the base40 can restrict movement in a direction 142 or about axis 110 normal tothe pitch axis 100 of the seat (best illustrated in FIG. 1B). Forinstance, the base 40 can restrict “roll” about a roll axis 110 when theseat is in the one or more active seating positions. As used herein,roll refers to motion in a direction 142 (or a moment about a direction142) normal to the direction 126 of active seating. In some examples,roll can occur lateral to the direction 126 of active seating. The rollaxis 110 can be perpendicular to both the pitch axis 100 and the yawaxis 80. In turn, the pitch axis 100 is perpendicular to the yaw axis80.

In certain advantageous aspects, the base 40 comprises a center ofgravity 112 positioned to be closer to the floor surface 32 than to thefirst end 52 of the post 50 so as to facilitate returning the seat fromthe one or more active positions to the upright position when the user'sbody weight is removed from the seat. Referring now to FIG. 4, incertain exemplary embodiments, the base 40 can be weighted such that thecenter of gravity is generally positioned such that a first portion 114of the non-planar portion 44 may contact the floor surface 32 at leastin some active positions, and/or the upright position. In theillustrated embodiment, the first portion 114 can be defined betweenribs 116, 118. In this and other embodiments, the first portion 114 canbe ring-shaped (e.g., circular or oval when viewed from the bottom). Insuch embodiments, the first portion 114 can be a first radium 115 awayfrom a center 130 of the non-planar portion 44.

The non-planar portion 44 may facilitate wobbling of the seat into oneor more wobble orientations. The wobble orientation may include theactive positions of the seat, as well as transition positions betweenthe active positions and the upright positions (or vice versa). In someembodiments, every position of the seat, with the exception of theupright position, defines a wobble orientation. The center of gravity ofthe base 40 generally falls within the first portion 114 of thenon-planar portion 44, as a result of which the base 40 tends to returnform the one or more active positions to the upright position.

In some exemplary embodiments, the base 40 can be substantially rigidrelative to the floor surface, and may not have any noticeabledeformation relative to the floor surface when a user's body weight isapplied on the seat 10. For instance, the base 40 may substantiallyretain its shape when the user is seated on the seat 10. Advantageously,in some aspects, at least the non-planar portion 44 can be made of arigid, but non-slip material such as rubber. Further, the base 40 can beweighted so as to be heavier relative to the post 50 and the seat pan 60and/or seat cushion 70. For instance, the base 40 can account forgreater than 50% of the overall weight of the seat 10. In an embodiment,the base 40 can have a desired weight distribution according to anyknown methods. For instance, the bottom portion of the base 40 below thebase center plane 120 can be heavier relative to the top portion of thebase 40. In this or other embodiments, areas corresponding to the firstportion 114 of the base 40 (encompassed by surfaces 122, 124) can beheavier relative to the areas outside the first portion 114 of the base40. In such cases, when a force (e.g., user's body weight) acts to pitchthe base 40, the point of contact (e.g., near arrow 172 in FIG. 1B) ofthe base 40 with the floor surface 32 may be shifted outside the firstportion 114 of the non-planar portion 44. However, as the center ofgravity 112 of the base 40 falls within the first portion 114, a firstrestoring moment 126 may be generated about the pitch axis 100 (alongdirection 126 shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C) as a result of the offsetbetween the point of contact (outside the first portion 114) and thecenter of gravity 112. The first restoring moment 126 may act to restorethe base 40 to its upright position (which can be a stable equilibriumposition in some embodiments). Accordingly, to maintain the base 40 inan active position, a user 20 may continue to overcome the firstrestoring moment 126 with a force (e.g., body weight and/or shifting theuser's own center of gravity) until the first restoring moment 126 isovercome. Advantageously, such posture can be analogous to exercising,and may improve blood flow to the user's legs. The user 20 may thus beoffered an opportunity to be less sedentary when seated in an activeseating position. When the user 20 removes their body weight, the firstrestoring moment 126 may pitch the base 40 in a direction opposite tothe pitching shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C so that the first portion 114contacts the floor surface 32, and the center of gravity falls withinthe first portion 114. In alternative examples, the base 40 can beweighted so as to have a uniform mass distribution, but may beconfigured to return to its upright position when a user's body weightis removed. For instance, the base 40 may have a generally convex shapepermitting it to return from its active position to upright positionupon removal of the user's weight.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the base 40 has a generally symmetric shapeabout the yaw axis 80. The generally symmetric shape of the base 40 canpermit omnidirectional yaw of the post 50 relative to the base 40. Inthe illustrated embodiments, the base 40 is generally dome-shaped (e.g.,convex relative to the floor surface 20), with an apex 130 of thedome-shaped base 40 generally contacting the floor when the seat is inthe upright position. However, as a result of being generally symmetric,the post 50 can be swiveled into any yaw position about 360 degreeangle, which corresponds to a portion of a circumference 132 of thedome-shaped base 40. Other shapes having symmetry about the yaw axis 80such as a hemispherical shape are contemplated within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

As described previously, the base 40 can reduce and/or restrict rollingmotion of the seat about the roll axis 110. In such cases, the base 40comprises a roll reduction portion 140 provided on the non-planarportion 44 of the base 40 to restrict movement in (or a first restoringmoment 126 about) the roll axis 110. As is apparent, the roll axis 110is generally perpendicular to a plane containing a front edge of theseat cushion 70 for a given yaw position. For example, if the post 50were to be swiveled from the orientation shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, a newroll axis 110 can be defined, that would be perpendicular to the plane(e.g., a new plane) that contains the front edge of the seat cushion 70.In such cases, the roll reduction portion 140 can reduce or restrict atendency of the weighted base 40 to roll (e.g., along direction 142)about its new roll axis 110.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 5, the roll reduction portion comprises aplurality of pads 150 extending outwardly from the non-planar portion 44of the base 40. As seen therein, the plurality of pads 150 extendradially outwardly from the apex 130 of the non-planar portion 44.Further, as seen from FIG. 4, one or more pads generally conforms tocontours of the non-planar portion 44 of the base 40. In the illustratedexample, one or more pads has a non-planar portion 44 having a curvaturesubstantially similar to a portion of the dome-shaped base 40. Further,one or more pads 150 has a length 152 corresponding to between about 50%and about 90% an arc length 156 of the non-planar portion 44. Forinstance, the pads 150 can extend a substantial fraction of an arcconnecting the apex 130 of the non-planar portion 44 and an outer edge166 of the non-planar portion 44. Accordingly, the base 40 may pitchabout the pitch axis 100 to any desired extent (e.g., between uprightposition 106, to the first active position 102) referred to as maximumpossible “rocking” motion (resulting in user's hip 92 to torso 90 angleof between about 90 degrees and about 170 degrees), while limiting oreliminating “rolling” motion of the base 40.

The pad(s) 150 can also have a thickness 158 defined as the differencebetween the radius of curvature 160 of the pad(s)150 and the radius ofcurvature 164 of the non-planar portion 44 of the base 40. For instance,in an embodiment, the radius of curvature 160 of the pads 150 can beoffset by a generally constant distance (in the radial direction) withrespect to the radius of curvature 164 of the non-planar portion 44.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the pad(s) 150 can have a non-zerothickness by which they project out of the non-planar portion 44. Thepads 150 can therefore be “flatter” relative to the non-planar portion44 of the base 40 and provide roll reduction. The pads 150 can, in suchembodiments, reduce or suppress roll about the roll axis 110 of thepivot seat by spreading out the area of contact of the base 40 with thefloor surface, thereby providing improved stability relative to a base40 that does not have the pads 150. If, for instance, any roll occurs,the one or more pads 150 may contact the floor surface (instead of, orin addition to the non-planar portion 44) to suppress any roll.

In advantageous aspects, the plurality of pads 150 can reduce orsuppress rolling moments that may be generated about the roll axis 110when the seat is in the active position. For instance, in an example,when the seat is in the active position, and the user's center ofgravity 170 pivots the base 40 such that a second portion 172 of thenon-planar portion 44 contacts the floor surface 32. The user's centerof gravity, in this case, falls within the second portion 172 of thenon-planar portion 44, and the base 40 may thus be in staticequilibrium. If the user 20 were to lean in a lateral direction (e.g.,relative to the front edge of the seat), the user's center of gravitymay be shifted outside the second portion 172 that contacts the floorsurface 32, and a second moment 142 may be generated about the roll axis110. The second moment 142 may act to roll the base 40 about the rollaxis 110 to counter the user's movement in the lateral direction. Insuch cases, the pads 150 can suppress the second moment 142 and thesecond portion 172 (between two adjacent pads 150) can come into contactwith the floor surface 32. The pads 150 may provide additional points ofcontact with the floor surface so as to account for the shifted positionof the center of gravity. As the center of gravity is within theenvelope that contacts the floor surface, any additional rolling momentsmay get suppressed. The second portion 172, in such cases, can encompassthe surface area of the non-planar portion 44 between any two pads 150,based on the yaw position in which the seat is used. Appreciably, someexemplary embodiments allow roll reduction in any yaw orientation of thebase 40 because of the radial distribution of the pads 150.

In some examples, portions of the base 40 and/or the roll reductionportion can be formed of materials that improve grip. For instance, thenon-planar portion 44 of the base 40 and the plurality of pads 150 canbe made of rubber to improve grip on the non-planar portion 44.Optionally, the entire base 40 can be made of rubber and molded in asingle-piece. Such embodiments permit improved stability and are easy tomanufacture.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate portions of the base 40 with a roll reductionportion according to another example. The illustrated example of FIGS. 6and 7 is substantially similar to the exemplary embodiment illustratedin FIGS. 2-5, with the exception described below. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, a representative pad 150 of the pluralityof pads is illustrated. The one or more pads 150 of the roll reductionportion optionally includes one or more edges that are positioned toform raised portions relative to the surface of the pads 150. As perhapsbest seen in FIG. 7, one or more pads 150 includes a raised edge 180that is offset relative to outer edges 182, 184 of the pad, so as toform a first ridged portion 186 and a second ridged portion 188. Theraised edge 180 can run generally centrally along a substantial lengthof the pad 150 so as to be generally equidistant from the outer edges182, 184. For instance, the raised edge 180 can run between about 50%and about 75% of the length of the pad 150.

The first ridged portion 186 and the second ridged portion 188 can beinclined relative to the outer edges 182, 184 of one or more pads 150.As is apparent, in such cases, one or more pads 150 has a non-uniformthickness 158, with portions radially closer to the apex 130 (best seenin FIG. 1F) having a lower thickness 158 a than portions radiallyfurther away from the apex 130. For instance, the raised portions canhave a maximum thickness 158 b defined between the raised edge 180 and abottom edge 190.

Returning to FIG. 6, the first ridged portion 186 and the second ridgedportion 188 may be defined further away from the apex (best seen in FIG.1F) of the base 40. Further, the first ridged portion 186 and the secondridged portion 188 may extend over a distance between about ⅕^(th) and⅓^(rd) of the length of the pad. As seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, while thepads 150 generally follow the contours of the non-planar portion 44 ofthe second surface 43, the first ridged portion 186 and the secondridged portion 188 may not follow such contours. For instance the pads150 may follow the contours (e.g., hemispherical) of the non-planarportion 44 over a distance of between about 50% and 75% of the length ofthe pad. Such embodiments may improve roll resistance at large pivotingangles of the base 40 an example of which is the first active seatingposition 102 shown in FIG. 1F.

For instance, in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, if a user were toapply their weight so as to pitch the seat at the first active seatingposition 102, one or more pads 150 may contact with the floor surfacesuch that portions of the pad(s) near the outer edge 166 rest againstthe floor surface. In such cases, the first ridged portion 186 and thesecond ridged portion 188 may provide additional roll suppressionrelative to the embodiment that does not have ridged portions (e.g.,FIGS. 2-5). If a rolling moment were to be generated due to the user'scenter of gravity shifting relative to its location when in stableequilibrium, the first ridged portion 186 may suppress the rollingmoment, and provide additional points of contact with the floor surfaceso as to improve stability, as described with respect to the pads 150.If an additional rolling moment were to be generated when the firstridged portion 186 contacts the floor surface (for instance if the userwere to lean further sideways), the base 40 may roll to a limited extentuntil the second ridged portion 188 contacts the floor surface. In suchcases, the second ridged portion 188 may provide roll suppression andprovide additional points of contact with the floor surface to improvestability. Accordingly, embodiments with ridged portions such as thoseillustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 may provide improved roll resistance atlarge pivoting angles of the seat.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide several advantages. Pivotseats according to some exemplary embodiments support leaning postureand encourages a hip-to-torso angle optimal for providing less pressureon a user's spine and connecting muscles (relative to standing).Further, the seat pan 60 can be positioned so as to help promote an openhip angle, thereby facilitating engagement of the core muscles. Theweighted base according to some examples advantageously leverages auser's center of gravity to support multidirectional use, enabling awide range of motion while maintaining control. Such seats can be usedwith commercially available standing desks of different sizes.

Various examples have been described. These and other examples arewithin the scope of the following claims.

1. A seat, comprising: a base having: a non-planar portion to permitwobbling of the seat into one or more wobble orientations, therebypermitting controlled pitching of the seat relative to a floor surfaceabout a pitch axis when a user's body weight is applied thereon, theseat being configured to move between an upright position and one ormore active positions, one or more roll reduction pads to restrict rollin or about a roll axis in the one or more active positions, the rollaxis being perpendicular to the pitch axis; a post having: a centeraxis, a first end coupled to the base, and a second end opposite to thefirst end; a seat pan coupled to the second end of the post, the seatpan being configured to provide a seating surface.
 2. The seat of claim1, wherein the base comprises a center of gravity positioned to becloser to the floor surface than to the first end of the post so as tofacilitate returning the seat from the one or more active positions tothe upright position when the user's body weight is removed from theseat.
 3. The seat of claim 1, wherein the seat has a pitch axispositioned on a plane parallel to the floor surface.
 4. The seat ofclaim 3, wherein the base forms a non-zero angle with the floor surfacewhen the seat is in the one or more active positions.
 5. The seat ofclaim 4, wherein the angle formed by the base is sufficient to form anangle of between about 100 degrees and about 150 degrees between auser's torso and hip, when seated in the one or more active positions.6. The seat of claim 5, wherein the angle formed by the base with thefloor surface is between about 20 degrees and about 70 degrees.
 7. Theseat of claim 1, wherein the base has a generally symmetric shape abouta yaw axis.
 8. The seat of claim 7, wherein the seat pan is configuredto yaw about the yaw axis relative to the base into one or more yawpositions.
 9. The seat of claim 7, wherein the seat is pivotable intoone or more active positions for each yaw position of the seat postrelative to the base.
 10. The seat of claim 8, wherein the base isgenerally dome-shaped, with an apex of the dome-shaped base generallycontacting the floor in the upright position, and each yaw positioncorresponds to a portion of a circumference of the base.
 11. The seat ofclaim 9, wherein the generally symmetric shape of the base permittingomnidirectional yaw of the seat pan relative to the base.
 12. A seat,comprising: a base permitting controlled pitching of the seat about apitch axis relative to the floor surface when a user's body weight isapplied thereon, the seat being configured to move between an uprightposition and one or more active positions, the base comprising a rollreduction portion provided on an outer surface of the base to restrictroll about a roll axis perpendicular to the pitch axis; a post coupledto the base at a first end, the post having a second end opposite to thefirst end; and a seat pan coupled to the second end of the post, theseat pan being configured to provide a seating surface.
 13. The seat ofclaim 12, wherein the base comprises a non-planar portion at least aportion of which contacts the floor surface at least in the uprightposition when the seat is positioned thereon.
 14. The seat of claim 13,wherein the roll reduction portion comprises a plurality of padsextending outwardly from the non-planar portion of the base.
 15. Theseat of claim 14, wherein the base is pivotable with respect to thefloor surface about the pitch axis into the one or more activepositions.
 16. The seat of claim 15, wherein the non-planar portion isrotationally symmetric about a yaw axis when the seat is in the uprightposition.
 17. The seat of claim 16, wherein the plurality of pads extendradially outwardly from an apex of the non-planar portion.
 18. The seatof claim 17, wherein one or more pads of the plurality of pads generallyconforms to contours of the non-planar portion of the base.
 19. The seatof claim 17, wherein one or more pads of the plurality of pad has alength corresponding to between about 50% and about 90% of an arc lengthof the non-planar portion.
 20. A weighted base for a pivot seat,comprising: an upper portion to connect to a post of the pivot seat; anon-planar portion to wobble the seat into one or more wobbleorientations; and a roll reduction portion provided on the base, theroll reduction portion comprising a plurality of pads extending radiallyoutwardly from the apex of the non-planar portion, one or more pads ofthe plurality of pads generally conforming to contours of the non-planarportion of the base, the roll reduction portion to restrict rollingmotion about a roll axis perpendicular to a pitch axis about which theseat is configured to pitch.
 21. The weighted base of claim 20, whereinthe non-planar portion is curved and has a radius of curvature and anapex, the radius of curvature being equal to a distance between a centerof curvature of the curved non-planar portion and the apex.
 22. Theweighted base of claim 21, wherein the one or more pads are curved aboutthe center of curvature of the non-planar portion, the one or more padshaving a radius of curvature offset from the radius of curvature of thenon-planar portion.
 23. The weighted base of claim 22, wherein, at leastone pad has a thickness, whereby the thickness equals the differencebetween the radius of curvature of the one or more pads and the radiusof curvature of the non-planar portion.
 24. The weighted base of claim23, wherein the at least one pad has a first thickness near the apex anda second thickness radially away from the apex, the first thicknessbeing less than the second thickness.
 25. The weighted base of claim 20,wherein at least one pad includes a raised edge forming a first ridgedportion and a second ridged portion disposed near an outer edge of thenon-planar portion, the first ridged portion and the second ridgedportion providing further roll suppression.
 26. The weighted base ofclaim 25, wherein, the first ridged portion and the second ridgedportion each extend over a distance between about ⅕^(th) and ⅓^(rd) of alength of the at least one pad.